Debicella campaign finances growing, but still half of what Himes has raised

Genevieve Reilly, Staff Writer

Published 11:41 pm, Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Republican challenger state Sen. Dan Debicella, who is looking to oust 4th Congressional District incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, added more than $800,000 to his war chest in the last quarter, but his financing total is only half that of Democrat Himes.

To date, Himes has raised $3.35 million since January 2009, compared to Debicella, who has raised $1.66 million in the same time period.

Of the donations received by Debicella, $1.484 million came from individuals compared to individual donations of $2 million received by Himes.

One donating to Debicella was Fairfield resident Robert D. Scinto, who gave $3,900 to the campaign effort. Scinto, recently pleaded guilty to making a false statement to FBI agents about gifts provided to employees and officials in that town.

The GOP brought the hammer down on Democrats, including Himes, who had accepted contributions from U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel, of New York, who was found to have broken key ethics rules. Himes said he would donate the $16,000 received from Rangel to charity.

Maagero said the fact that the majority of Debicella's contributions come from individuals who live in the district is "a clear signal that Dan's proposals are resonating with voters."

More Information

Scinto donations
Over the years, Fairfield resident and local developer Robert D. Scinto, who recently pleaded guilty to a felony count in the Shelton corruption probe, has contributed to many political campaigns. The majority of his donations have gone to Republican candidates, according to opensecrets.org.
Since 1989, Scinto has donated $63,300 to political campaigns and committees, with the largest single donation of $25,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2008.
In addition to GOP candidates Christopher Shays, Rudy Guiliani, John McCain, Dan Debicella, Alan Schlesinger, Gary Franks, John Rowland, Steve Forbes, Scinto has also donated a total of $5,700 to U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman in both his incarnations as a Democrat and an Independent. Donations to Democrats include Senate candidate Attorney General Richard Blumenthal ($500 6/19/10) and former Shelton mayoral candidate Michael Pacowta ($500 4/3/90).

After spending $2.8 million of his campaign funding, Himes reported having $577,320 cash on hand; while Debicella reported spending $1.4 million, leaving him with $259,387.